Questions about Cricket Care

[KatelinLovesCommah]

I recently ordered my crickets from a new online supply company (got sucked into a sale...) and those crickets came to me obviously unhealthy (they STUNK!). Though only a couple were dead upon arrival, by the next morning more than half of them lined the bottom. I have had success keeping even larger quantities without a problem- so I am almost absolutely sure it was just crappy cricket farming. I got rid of all of the 1,000 that were still living by the third day (a WHOPPING 23 crickets), and plan on cleaning out the entire tub. My main question is is their any way the new crickets getting delivered could "contract" anything the first batch had? Should I throw out all the egg crates? Or should it be okay... i DO plan on sanitizing and cleaning out all the deads before adding the new ones.

Secondly, I used (what I could) of those crickets to breed...before they died. Is their anyway the baby crickets will have anything that could harm the rest of the "colony"?

Maybe i'm just being overly fearful... but after struggling for 8 months at beginning to breed roaches and crix, I just cant risk the "babies" getting sick!

Just if anyone wants to know: (Constructive Criticism Welcomed)
My entire "breeding/feeding" room (AKA Converted Laundry Room) houses 3 bins of crickets, 2 roach bins, a tray of baby beardie eggs, and a reptibreeze awaiting my baby Jax. My biggest reoccurring problem (And the reason it took me 8 months to have success) is the room loosing its humidity. We modified a couple things and the fiance fixed it!
My cricket set up is 3 tubs set on a rack. The ventilation seems to be great, I mist everyone (roaches included) once a day. Baking baby trays (developing cricket eggs) are in 10 gallon fish tanks...until they hatch. Those get misted 6 times a day...and stay moist. The entire room stays at a steady 80 degrees, and spikes to 95 mid day. The humidity is around 70%, and I rarely/never see mold.
I feed my feeders mustard greens, collard greens, carrots, and a dry gut-load.

Thanks for reading!
(I may get around to posting pictures at some point tonight.)

 

[Lovereps]

At the very least, the conditions they were kept in may have been unsanitary or whatever their food source was during shipping rotted.

OR they cooked during transit--since some parts of the country are very hot right now.

Lastly, they could have had the cricket virus that has wiped-out most Acheta domestica crickets in the US.

If the "cricket virus" got them, then you should throw out whatever they came in contact with, as there is no known way of sanitizing items to eliminate the virus AFAIK.
See post #26 in this thread:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/cricket-virus-info-112185/index3.html

Hopefully, you already know that you won't be able to keep Jackson's in a room that gets above 80 degrees--nevermind baby Jackson's.

I haven't raised crickets but I don't believe that misting crickets is a good idea.

 

[KatelinLovesCommah]

Hopefully, you already know that you won't be able to keep Jackson's in a room that gets above 80 degrees--nevermind baby Jackson's.

I haven't raised crickets but I don't believe that misting crickets is a good idea.

No No No! haha. I know- God... I had to drive my Jackson to the vet in 85 degree weather and he was panting! We plan on eliminating the room heater, and using spot lights instead That way the room will have a cooler side for all the babies!

The misting is an attempt to keep the humidity up, and to moisten the soil. It also gives the crickets a chance to get a little extra fresh water. (If anyone who raises crickets has a reason why its BAD for them- im more than willing to hear you out.... just thought it was good for em. haha)

Thanks for the Info/Reply Lovereps... I think i'll just toss everything that's disposable... Just in-case...

Yeah, like you said the "new" cricket provider was just SO disappointing. Not to mention I ordered them on a MONDAY, paid for overnight shipping and got them 9 days later. Yes, shipping was overnight but "processing" took 7 days... seriously?! I don't like bashing, so I wont name names... but I will say neither of the companies are site sponsors.

 

[Enzo Veiled]

I have a little cricket farm. The reason so many died is because once one cricket dies, they release a gas that kills all of the other crickets. Not harmful to humans. Try to remove the crickets that have died as soon as possible. My chameleon likes to eat dead crickets as well as live. That's how I trained him to eat from my hand, as well as my nose c:

 

[nick barta]

No No No! haha. I know- God... I had to drive my Jackson to the vet in 85 degree weather and he was panting! We plan on eliminating the room heater, and using spot lights instead That way the room will have a cooler side for all the babies!

The misting is an attempt to keep the humidity up, and to moisten the soil. It also gives the crickets a chance to get a little extra fresh water. (If anyone who raises crickets has a reason why its BAD for them- im more than willing to hear you out.... just thought it was good for em. haha)

Thanks for the Info/Reply Lovereps... I think i'll just toss everything that's disposable... Just in-case...

Yeah, like you said the "new" cricket provider was just SO disappointing. Not to mention I ordered them on a MONDAY, paid for overnight shipping and got them 9 days later. Yes, shipping was overnight but "processing" took 7 days... seriously?! I don't like bashing, so I wont name names... but I will say neither of the companies are site sponsors.

9 days in summer heat would kill me in a box. With that much shipping time when you paid for over night, the cricket farm either sent it out wrong or the fault lies with the shipper.
Either way, the cricket vendor should refund you.

 

[Mike Fisher]

I have a little cricket farm. The reason so many died is because once one cricket dies, they release a gas that kills all of the other crickets.

Ammonia.

Adding humidity to crickets by misting them is asking for problems for the same reason. If you've ever seen a large cricket farm operation, you'd know that a dry environment and airflow is a key ingredient to success. The cricket farm I used to visit had dehumidifiers going in the humid months. The only time you need to mist is to keep the egg substrate moist until they hatch, and that was in a totally separate building from the rearing bins.